Luminous sign



- A. JOHNSON July 31, 1951 LUMINOUS SIGN 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 12, 1945 ART/10,9. JO/M/JO/V Inventor Attorney .July'3l, 1951 A. JOHNSON LUMINOUS SIGN Filed June 12, 1945 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q; ochoood ooc i i I Inventor ARTHUR JOHNSON y Attorney A. JOHNSON LUMINOUS SIGN July 31, 1951 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 12, 1945 T 0 t n e u n I B ARTHUR JOHNSON Mifit Attorney A. JOHNSON LUMINOUS SIGN July 31, 1951 8 Sheets-Sheet '4 Filed June 12, 1945 Fig /1 l/ILLLLIL lll w Inventor ARTHU/QEH/VJO/V A. JOHNSON LUMINOUS SIGN 8 Sheets-She'et 5 nventor ARTHUR ATUHNSDN Ry fifi A ttorney July 31, 1951 Filed June 12, 1945 Filed June 12, 1945 I 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 Inventor A R TH U R JOf/AUO/V ja K Attorney A. JOHNSON LUMINOUS SIGN July 31, 1951 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed June 12, 1945 Attorney July 31, 1951 A. JOHNSON 2,562,793

' LUMINOUS SIGN Filed June 12, 1945 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 V, Ir;ver ztor ARTHU/Q JO/M/JOA/ Attorney Patented July 31, 195i UNITED STATES Application June 12, 1'945,saa1m. 598,931 Q 7 In Great Britain August 25,1941 a ,1- Claiin; (01. 4042) This invention relates to luminous monogram matic signs of the type in which letters of the alphabet or other symbols appear successively at one end of the sign and apparently move across the sign to the other end thereof where they successively disappear. And the present invention aims to produce such a sign which, whilst being eifective in arresting the attention of passers-by, shall be simple in construction and economical in current consumption; and, being reliable-d. e.

not liable to derangement under normal conditions of use--may be operated for prolonged periods at low maintenance cost. I

My sign is essentially characterised in that the use of a plurality of electric lamps, to form individual letters of the alphabet, numerals, and other symbols or representations, e. g. smoke rising from a cigarette, a crawling border scripwriting, et cetera (all hereinafter, for convenience of reference, designated letter or letters), is obviated, the letters being produced, under my invention, the combination of a non-transparent screen or plate (hereinafter for convenience of reference, designated sign-plate), wherein or whereon are formed appropriately spacedlightemitting apertures of desired shapeor configuration, and pivotally mounted plates or shutters (hereinafter, for convenience of reference, desig-v nated disc or discs), located on the inside of said sign plate in proximity with and adapted to open and close said light-emitting apertures; electro-magnets the armatures whereof are operatively and individually connected with individual discs, so that when an electro-magnet is energised its armature is caused to raise its .connected disc, and when the same electro-magnet is de-energized the disc is permitted to fall to plate-aperture closing position; electrically-illuminable tubes situated behind saidplate apertures; contacts individually electrically connect ed with said electro-magnets; and contacts for permanent connection with the source of electricity supply. i

In one flashing arrangement, I utilize letters provided with (A) a contact adapted to co-oper-' ate with said contacts for connection ,yvith the source of electricity supply and (B) contacts in permanent electrical connection with said A contact, and arranged and adapted to select the contacts of certain electro-magnetsTaccording to the sign-letter to be createdfor energization and consequential raising of their associated discs to cause the formation of letters built up and flashed by the then opened and so tube-illuminated, apparatus. a

In another embodiment'of' my apparatus, I control the contactsiel'ectrically connected with the electro-magnets by means of a known form of message-carrying perforated strip adapted to con: trol the current flow by making and breaking electrical connection between said contacts associated with the electricity supply and the contacts associated with the electro' magnets.

Said message-carrying strip may be of the kind commonly emp oyeam apparatus for lamp-flashn i w i- As a'means of effecting the flashing of the letters from the sign-plate, I may employ contactcarrying letter plates, the conducting contact members'whereof being shaped and/or arranged to form the required letters, so that if said contact members of a pre-selected letter plate are placed or moved into engagement with contact members electrically connected with said electrom'agnets, the appropriate electro-magnets will be energisedto cause, through consequential attraction of said disc-connected armatures actuation ofthe appropriate discs which, in co-oper ation, efiect the required luminous letter on the sign plate. f

Said contact elements electrically connected with the electromagnets are preferably arranged as a bank of spring metal arms which--to ensure good rubbing contact-are displaced against their spring resistance when letter contacts are placed or passed between Same. Each letter plate is provided'with a contact knife, or its equivalent, in permanent electrical association with the contact members of the plate, and adapted to engage with and dis-engage from contacts connected with a source of electricity supply simultaneously with the engagement anddisengag'ement of the letterplate contacts with and from said contacts electrically "connected with "the electro-magnets.

The means of illumination are electrically-illuminable tubes placed in appropriateusually horizontal'alignment behind said I sign-plate which may constitute the front of a -casing wherein the luminous tubes and electro-magnets with-their disc actuating connections are dis? posed; The casing may have light reflective surfaces.

Said light-emitting apertures of an otherwise non-transparent sign-plate, if they consist of through openings .in thesign-plate, maybe glazed,

- orfltted with glass lenses; or, alternatively, the

sign'pl'ate, as aiwho le, may j be provided with a facing 01' glass or other suitable transparent material. a

right of the sign and apparently travel to the left,

where they disappearor alternatively travel vertically or at an inclination-I may utilizea controller including a mechanically driven endless chain or like conveyor, or a drum, and a' plu rality of letter carrying components whereto lets ters may be applied in a readily detachable manner and so that in the letters travel their contacts will engage, displace and pass certain of said bank of spring contact arms and cause the flashing from the sign-plate of 'the required announcement time after time for as long as may be desired. An announcement may, of course, be easily changed by re-arrangement of the contactcarrying letters on the conveyor or drum; and, if desired, by stopping the conveyor or drum, thenow stationary-announcement in full will appear.

I will further describe my invention with the aid of the accompanying sheets of explanatory drawings which illustrate, by way of example only, one mode of embodying same.

In said drawings:

'4 so as to normally mask the sign-plate openings 2-discs of metal, or other suitable material, each comprising a flap portion I and a hook 8; and linked by an eye extremity with said hook 8 is an armature member 9 of annealed sheet iron, the other end whereof is pivotally mounted on a pin or spindle III also carried by said bracket 5 and extending horizontally the full length thereof.

Secured to the underside of each bracket 5 are electro-magnets II equal in number to those of a horizontal row of sign-plate apertures 2.

Disposed within casing 3, and extending horizontally behind each row of apertures 2 of signplate I, is a luminous tube I2, said tubes being supported in spring clips I3 mounted on the respective brackets 5.

Normally, a disc 1 assumes a hanging position under the influence of gravity to close its aperture 2 of the sign-plate and so prevent the trans- Fig. 1 is an end view, partly in section, of a casing provided with an apertured front (sign) plate, and including two of the discs and electromagnetic means for actuating same.

Figs. 2 and 3 are detached views of a disc;- Figs. 4 and 5 are, respectively, plan and elevation of a detached electro-magnet; and Figs. 6 and 7 are detached views of an armature.

Fig. 8 is a front view of a fragment of the sign-plate with letters appearing thereon, and Fig. 9 is an inverted plan of portion of an electra-magnets supporting bracket and associated parts.

Fig. 10 is an end view, Figs. 11 and 11a' 'a side elevation, and Fig. 12 a plan of part of an endless chain conveyor, and letter-plates carried thereby in and out of circuit-completing positions.

Fig. 13 is a plan view of some of a stationary bank of contacts.

Figs. 14 and 15 and 16 are, respectively, plan elevation, and inverted view of a letter-plate car? rier in letter-holding position; and Figs. 17, 18 and 19 are similar views showing the letter carrier preparatory to receiving a letter.

Figs. 20, 21 and 22 are perspective views of a letter drawn to an enlarged scale as compared with the preceding figures.

In the several views like characters of reference denote like parts wherever they occur.

Referring now to the drawings, I represent a metal sign-plate in which horizontal rows of through apertures 2 are formed; said plate I constitutes the front of a casing 3 (mainly'indi cated by broken lines) and is protected by a sheet 4 of clear or frosted glass. 7

Disposed on the inner face of said sign-plate I, and extending horizontally throughout length thereof are sheet metal brackets 5,'these being situated one above each row of apertures 2 of sign-plate I.

Carried by each bracket 5 is afulcrum pm or spindle Ii whereon "are plvotally mounted -but mission of light from luminous tubes I2as illustrated as A Fig. 1. When, however, its magnet II is energised, armature 9 is attractedas shown at B Fig. 1-with the result that the disc, being linked thereto is pivotally moved about spindle 6 to rise and uncover its plate aperture 2 and permit the emission of light therethrough. Then, when the circuit through the electro-magnet is broken, the disc falls by gravity to obscure the light again. Attached to each bracket 5 is a conducting terminal block I4.

Situated in any convenient positioni. e. re-' mote from the sign proper-4s the disc working apparatus which includes apreferably motor driven-chain type endless conveyor between the chains I5 whereof letter supporting members I6 are movably attached, these being constructed to hold, in a readily detachable manner, letter-plates I! the contacts I'Ib whereof are adapted, in the travel of said conveyor, to engage with certainaccording to the particular contact arrangement of the letters-stationary spring contact fingers I8 of a bank of fingers carried by an insulated block I 9 and secured in position by wedges 20.

Thus, onthe contacts Nb of a letter-plate II engaging, displacing and passing preselected sta tionary spring contact fingers I8, the appropriate magnets II will be energized and the discs I associated therewith actuated to show the letter on sign-plate I, which letter has been created by certain sequentially illuminated apertures 2, the letter apparently moving along the sign-plate from right to left. When so permitted, the spring contact fingers I 8 reassume their positions as before actuation. Each letter-plate I1 is also provided with a contact knife IId adapted in the travel of the letter-plate to engage with and disengage from a line of stationary spring contact fingers I80. mounted on block I9 and which contacts are permanently alive, being fed from the source of electricity supply.

Thus, as contact knife IId of the letter-plate becomes alive, contacts I'Ic of the letter plate also become alive and in brushing through the particular contacts I8 complete and break the circuitsof the electro-magnets II controlling the appropriate discs I.

To obviate lateral displacement of conveyor I 5, that is arranged to run between guide pieces 2I of suitably lubricated hard wood.

A letter-plate supporting component (hitherto generally designated I5) includes (see Figs. 14 to 19, inclusively) a sheet metal plate 22 provided with sideflanges 22a between which are disposed plates 23, 24 connected by a helical wire spring 25: plate 24 is fixed. Extending from said plates are pairs of headed pins 26-which are connected by a thumb plate 26a are adapted to move in slots 28 of plate 22 and are normally maintained in the position shown in Figs. 14, and 16 through their connections with slidable plate 23, under the influence of spring 25. Each plate 22 is pivotally pinned to the conveyor chains l5 by the aid of end flanges 22b.

The letter-plate l! are provided with bifurcated tongue-like extensions He, and in applying a letter to a carrier plate one tongue of the letter is engaged with one or other of the fixed pins 21 and the other tongue is engaged with the aligned pin of the pair of pins 26 which have been outwardly displaced by hand against the spring resistance by the aid of the thumb plate 26a, and then permitted to return. This provision for enabling selection of one or other of the pairs of pins 26, 2'! enables the proper spacing of the letters on the conveyor.

Referring now to the letter-plates illustrated in Figs. 20 to 22, inclusive. which are all constructed to show by way of example, the letter E, the pin type of contacts l'la of Fig. 20 will give a lighting time substantially less than a black-out time; the plate-like contacts [lb of Figure 21 will give a longer lighting time than black-out time; and the contacts llc'of Fig. 22 will show an E of block type, of which the first and last vertical plate contacts only flash, the intermediate portions of the letter being continuously alight. It is to be noted that in all embodiments of my invention, the opening and closing of a sign-plate aperture is afiected by a single electro-magnet and its armature.

The electric circuit controlling the operation of said discs may be as follows:

Mains alternating current is reduced by means of a step-down transformer to about 25 volts and rectified to produce direct current: the negative line of the 25 volt direct current supply is fed directly to one-say negative-side of all electro-magnets II of the sign: the positive line of the 25 volt direct current supply is fed to the feed line finger contact lBa carried by block I9. As a letter-plate I1 rubs through the bank of stationary contacts I8, lBa, the knife contact lld of the letter-plate I1 engages the contact feeder line 18a and so renders the letter-plate contacts Ila, [lb or We, as the case may be, alive, to effect the actuation-via the particular contacts I8 connected to the other, say positive side of each of their appropriate electro-magnets Ilof the sign as selected by the letter-plate contacts.

Of course, any appropriate alternative circuit 26, 21. Said pair of pins priately spaced light-emitting apertures, pivotal- 1y mounted non-transparent discs located on the inside of said sign-plate in proximity with and adapted to open and close said light-emitting apertures, electro-magnets, armatures pivotally situated below said magnets, arms associated with said pivotally mounted discs and engaged by the adjacent ends of the armatures for operatively connecting each disc with one of said armatures, so that when an electro-magnet is energized its armature is caused to raise its connected disc and when the same electro-magnet is de-energized the disc is permitted to fall by gravity assisted by the weight of the pivotal armature'to plate-aperture closing position, electrically illuminable tubes situated behind said plate apertures, con-. tacts individually electrically connected with said electro-magnets, contacts for permanent connection with the source of current supply, letter members provided with a knife contact adapted to engage with and disengage from the contacts connected with the source of electricity supply, simultaneously with the engagement and dis-engagement of letter member contacts, connected with said knife contacts, with and from said contacts electrically connected with the electro-magnets, according to the sign letter to be created, for energization and consequential raising of their associated discs to cause the formation of letters built up and flashed by then opened and illuminated apertures.

A. JOHNSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 520,223 Schneider May 22, 1894 808,884 Thomas et al. Jan. 2, 1906 1,799,731 Cassels Apr. 7, 1931 2,068,827 Tompkins Jan. 26, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 14,573 Great Britain July 9, 1908 18,286 Great Britain Aug. 2, 1910 24,108 Great Britain July 9, 1914 11,560 Great Britain Aug. 10, 1915 

